


Past Mistakes

by LivingInFiction



Category: Black Panther (2018)
Genre: Can be read in a platonic way, Erik Survived, Forgiveness, Gen, Healing, I'm sorry I can't help it, Post-Black Panther (2018), Protective Okoye, Regret, Self-Harm, Shuri is Mentionned, T'cherik, Wakandan Technology, You're all welcome here, a bit angsty, but also in a gay way, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-10 22:32:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15301467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LivingInFiction/pseuds/LivingInFiction
Summary: “Why didn’t you let me die?!” The man spat, jaw clenched.“Because,” T’Challa began, his voice too low to his liking, “Because I believe you deserve a second chance.”





	Past Mistakes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tsuh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsuh/gifts).



> A small present for the birthday of my friend Tsuh ! Happy belated birthday !
> 
> Erik's death was so tragic, I had a hard time believing it. I guess I'm still a bit in denial because I wrote this.
> 
>  
> 
> This can be read as totally platonic, but if you ship it you can totally read between the lines my friends!

“You were supposed to leave me to die!”

The man’s scream had been loud enough to echo through the corridors, loud enough to even startle the two Dora Milaje who guarded the room habited by Wakanda’s most unwanted guest. Her spear held tight, Okoye exchanged a glance with the other warrior, both ready to rush in and fight if need be, before she knocked on the large metallic door.

“My King, do you need our assistance?”

It surely seemed to be a silly question to ask according to her, knowing who T’Challa was with. Had she had the choice she would have stayed inside next to her King, yet he had assured her countless times there would be no risks whatsoever, considering the other man’s state. She didn’t miss the chance to remind him that a wounded man was far more dangerous, especially if you weren’t wise enough to mistrust your opponent’s weakness, to which he answered with a simple “I know”.

“Do not worry, Okoye,” T’Challa’s even voice reassured her, “I have the situation under control.”

He waited for the answer of the General as he stood still, his gaze unmoved. Her protectiveness most often made her act despite what he would tell her, which she justified by the saying that his life was more important than anything else, that Wakanda couldn’t lose its King once more. And she was right, But for once he hoped that she would fight against her instincts and leave him be. There was so much at stake.

It took a handful of seconds until she finally spoke again, her tone unwillingly betraying how tense she was.

“Very well, my King.”

He heard the faintest of shuffling as the two Dora Milaje went back to their positions to guard the doors. When silence fell into the room once more, the tension in his shoulders eased. Erik stood a few feet away from him, his massive frame covered with Shuri’s last invention: thousands of microscopic nanites moving and adapting to his body to heal the wounds of his last battle, which she had poetically named nursenites — probably as a joke, or so he hoped. 

When Erik had awoken in the medical bay, he fought against every type of care provided. Had it been human or technological. He put up enough of a fight to scare the nurses and researchers who were present, but also broke one of the machines that was supposed to heal him, all of that despite his weak state. T’Challa had to take action and isolated him into a room where he could neither harm his people nor himself, thus were created the “nursenites”, technology smart enough to reassemble itself at will and strong enough to not be detached of the body by the patient, no matter how reluctant to be healed they may be. Erik did try to get rid of it multiple times, to scratch the nanites off his skin, even if it meant to reopen his wounds along the way. He still hadn’t given up, he still scratched himself from time to time, more as a sign of defiance than an actual attempt to get rid of the nanites, just like he did right then.

“Erik, we found a pulse when we brought you back here,” the King of Wakanda explained with calm, “we couldn’t leave you to die when there was still a chance for you to survi-”

“Bullshit!” The other man interrupted him as he walked towards him. “No one here would want me to survive after what I did!”

Erik reached T’Challa, his last steps almost hobbly, and grabbed him by the front of his tunic without delicacy, wrinkling the dark, silver threaded material. He was out of breath, the few feet he had crossed too much for his weak metabolism, the nanites could heal the wounds but they couldn’t reach deep enough, rest and medicine were required to make a full recovery, which Erik didn’t seem to allow himself to have. 

T’Challa’s only reaction was to stare at Erik’s face, his features distorted by anger and resentment. He didn’t want to fight anymore, not when he knew that the man who stood in front of him could be good, he had seen his vulnerability. Erik Killmonger‒ no. N’Jadaka, wasn’t who he wanted people to believe he was, hidden behind years of deception, sadness and frustration, there was a child who was denied his right to belong in his own home, who had to live a life he didn’t deserve because of T’Chaka’s own mistakes. 

“Why didn’t you let me die?!” The man spat, jaw clenched.

“Because,” T’Challa began, his voice too low to his liking, “Because I believe you deserve a second chance, N’Jadaka.”

Anger disappeared from Erik’s face to be replace by sheer surprise. Not many had used his real name ever since he had stepped into Wakanda, not many seemed to care about it either. To everyone else he was an outsider, though his blood clearly told no lies.

“I couldn’t let you die, because I didn’t want you to.”

Neither of them dared to say a word after that. They were staring at one another, T’Challa’s stare unmoved while Erik’s dark eyes seemed to search something, maybe a blink or a twitch of the corner of the mouth of the Wakandan King to prove that he was lying, that his words actually meant nothing.

T’Challa raised his left hand and let it rest on Erik’s tight fist. Not once had he let go of the piece of clothing. 

“I truly mean it,” he gently squeezed his hand, the gesture soft enough to accentuate his intent, “the person you were is no longer. When we both stared at the setting sun, I saw the man you could become. It is not too late to change, N’Jadaka.”

The man’s eyes grew wide. He was too stunned by T’Challa’s words to even answer. Redemption hadn’t been a thing he expected to find anywhere in this world, not after all the atrocities he committed; atrocities that he _enjoyed_ committing. Yet, the still young King of Wakanda stood in front of him, offering a thing he hadn’t even dared dreaming of.

“I trust you.”

Erik frowned, “You’re a fucking idiot.” He replied, his composure finally regained.

“Probably,” T’Challa smiled weakly, “only time will tell.”

The wounded man rolled his eyes, a small growl escaping his lips as he let go of him. T’Challa straightened his tunic yet a few wrinkles remained, he saw Erik go sit on his bed from the corner of his eye and took it as his cue to leave him alone. He headed towards the door, ready to leave the room, but stopped himself before he could reach it.

“Don’t let your past mistakes define who you are.”

“Get the fuck outa my room,” Erik sighed.

T’Challa gave him one last glance but Erik didn’t look back at him once, his gaze too focused on the nanites he was absent-mindedly scratching off his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so glad I finally wrote about Black Panther even if it's a small thing! I only saw the movie some weeks ago but I really loved it! Every single thing about it was so freaking good, I just fell in love with it!
> 
> I really tried my best to keep them as much in character as I could, I think I did T'Challa all right? But Erik, oh boy, Erik! He is such a well written and complex character I don't feel like I did him justice at all... But at least I tried!
> 
> If you notice grammar mistakes or mispelled words, please do tell me and I'll correct it ASAP! :)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
